Gridiron Experts Fantasy QB Rankings

Fantasy Football Quarterback Rankings
Drew Brees – The Saints are the definition of a pass happy team, leading the league with pass attempts per game the last two years. With an arsenal of receiving targets for this gunslinger, it’s hard not to dub him a fantasy jackpot. The only thing that could slow him down is a nagging injury, but with such a quick release he rarely gets bothered from his office out of the shotgun. Prediction: 4900 yards and 35 TD’s

Peyton Manning – The Colts may look a little different this season with a few faces missing from the sidelines and receiver position, but overall the chemistry shouldn’t change. Expect players like Anthony Gonzalez to have bigger roles now that Harrison is gone. Peyton was his own offensive coordinator and shouldn’t have problems with any coaching changes this year. The addition of 1st round pick RB Donald Brown should help improve a struggling run game that could help Manning sell his favorite stretch play-action pass that causes defensive nightmares. Prediction: 4550 yards and 33 TD’s

Tom Brady – It’s hard to rank Brady high or low this season. Rumors are that he has fully recovered from his knee injury and could easily regain his 2007 50 touchdown form right
away, but there is the trouble of the offensive line. After Brady went down, the Patriots struggled from keeping Matt Cassesl on his feet as the team gave up 47 sacks. That’s not reassuring for a recovering quarterback. Tom Brady will need time in the pocket if he wants to regain his confidence and keep from re-injuring himself. Opponents may attack the Patriots differently this season, knowing Brady’s mobility isn’t 100%.
Prediction: 4000 Yards 33 Touchdowns

Philip Rivers – The Chargers struggled to run the ball last season, giving Rivers a heavier than expected workload. With a more balanced run game the Chargers might throw less this season, but after seeing Rivers step up and lead his team through the air it will be hard not to want to attack defensive secondaries. The Chargers are in a very weak division and will be thinking about the playoffs early on. Unless the AFC West finds some sort of competition for the Chargers, games might not require Rivers to throw all day. Prediction: 3900 Yards 30 Touchdowns
Aaron Rodgers – Surprised? After much debate, Gridiron Experts is going out on a limb and saying Aaron Rodgers will emerge as a top 5 fantasy quarterback. With all the uncertainties surrounding the quarterbacks after Rivers, none stand out more to have a great season than Rodgers. The pressure to succeed after Brett Favre had to be stressful, but Rodgers stepped up and proved to many people that he can compete with the best in ’08, throwing for over 4000 yards, 28 touchdowns through the air, and 4 touchdowns on the ground. With the offense
running smoothly and the defense transitioning to become a 3-4, Rodgers will be asked to run up the score on a weekly basis.
Prediction: 3900 Yards 29 Touchdowns

Kurt Warner – Never say die, this 38 year old quarterback is still one of the leagues premium signal callers. The coaching staff may be different, but the players around him are still the same, including A. Boldin who is handcuffed to Arizona. Adding a smash mouth running back like Chris Beanie Wells should keep defenses honest, allowing Warner the chance not to burn out throughout the season. There is some risk involved when drafting a quarterback like Kurt Warner, as you never know when his arm will fall off. Many people might think after last season’s heart breaking Super Bowl loss that Warner will not be able to produce at such a high level, but Warner seems unfazed and overly positive no matter what the circumstances. Prediction: 4000 Yards 27 touchdowns

Donovan McNabb – A rebuilt offensive line and another speedy young receiver should bump McNabb’s stock on draft boards. Losing L.J. Smith was a blessing in disguise as his inconsistency was an ongoing headache for moving the ball. Insert Brent Celek at tight end, and draft a couple young talents in Maclin and McCoy, and the Eagles look to fly in 2009. McNabb takes so much slack for his inability to win the big games, but we believe you are only as good as the talent around you. Prediction: 3900 Yards 26 touchdowns

Tony Romo – T.O. is gone and many Cowboy fans are happy, but why? Terrell Owens accumulated one third of Tony Romo’s numbers last season and scored over 3500 yards and 38 touchdowns in the last 3 seasons. Love him or hate him, Terrell Owens was a major weapon for the Cowboys. Roy Williams will have his chance to take over, but if the chemistry isn’t there Dallas could struggle to put up points. Romo is not your conventional QB making plays with his feet and improvising broken plays for big scores. He is a highlight reel type player that always comes up big. His fantasy numbers shouldn’t change too much but his value has definitely slipped. Prediction: 3700 yards 26 touchdowns

Matt Schaub – 11 is the unlucky number for Matt Schaub. In his two years as a starter for the Houston Texans, Schaub has only been able to start in 11 games per season. If you broke down his numbers last season, when playing he was one of the leagues top fantasy QB’s, the problem is he can never stay healthy. The Texans seem to be everyone’s sleeper team and for good reason. Andre Johnson is an animal at wide receiver and arguably one of the top wide-outs in the league. Add in solid pass catching tight end Owen Daniels and a diamond in the rough Steve Slaton at running back and this team can move the ball. In fact the Texans had one of the top offenses in the league last season; it was the problems in the red zone that really held them back from becoming great, only scoring 28 touchdowns in 61 attempts. If Schaub can stay healthy this team can easily do some damage. Prediction: 3500 yards 23 touchdowns  

Carson Palmer – Boom or bust, take your pick, because that’s how Carson Palmer’s season is going to go. Before a series of injuries Palmer was a reliable top 5 fantasy quarterback, but the rain cloud never seems to want to let him go. Palmer is the definition of risk vs. reward this season. When it comes to draft value, the surrounding uncertainty makes it hard to find a place for him. Ochocinco is a headache, and a questionable offensive line and nagging injuries to this former superstar make it no wonder why people have dubbed Palmer as toxic in fantasy leagues. Gridiron Experts believes Palmer is one of this years biggest sleepers; the 4000 yard gunslinger is itching to get back on the field and has a very underrated surrounding cast. Prediction: 3400 yards 23 touchdowns

Follow us on Twitter: @GridironExperts